monestrous

monestrous

English

Etymology

From mon- +‎ estrous.

Adjective

monestrous (not comparable)

1. (biology) Of or pertaining to a mammal, such as the dog, that only enters into heat once during each of its normal breeding cycles.
   • 1977, Solomon Zuckerman and Barbara J. Weir (eds.), The Ovary: Volume 2 Physiology, 2nd ed., →ISBN, (Google preview):

     The dog, wolf, and fox are monestrous, the fox and wolf having one and the dog two cycles in a year.

   • 2005, Robert Hine, The Facts on File Dictionary of Biology, 4th ed., →ISBN, p. 129 (Google preview):

     Males of monestrous species also exhibit a cycle, being sexually active only during the females' estrus.

   • 2013, William O. Reece, Functional Anatomy and Physiology of Domestic Animals, →ISBN, p. 477 (Google preview):

     Most wild carnivorous mammals are monestrous.

Antonyms

• polyestrous

References

• monestrous at OneLook Dictionary Search